A family is mourning the loss of a grandfather who drowned after his vehicle was swept away by flood waters last week, just a few miles from his Niverville home.
RCMP said the body and vehicle were found submerged along Allarie Road in the RM of De Salaberry on Saturday.
Gary Stott last saw his brother Raymond Wednesday night.
When the 61-year-old didn't show up for breakfast the next morning, Gary had a feeling something was wrong.
"It felt like there was a lump of lead in the bottom of your stomach," said Gary.
The family searched everywhere they could think of and came across a washed out road. They saw pails with tools that belonged to Raymond floating in the water.
"I looked at my brother Mike and he said ‘this isn't going to turn out very good,'" said Gary.
Gary and Mike took their boat out onto the water but said it was more than 15 feet deep, so they called RCMP.
A dive team came out and found Raymond Stott's truck Saturday and helped pull it out.
"That truck broke through the water and you could see that was his truck and you could see him in there," said Gary.
Now, the family is grieving his death.
"He loved his family, his kids, his grandson…his community, said Gary.
Raymond's family believes he tried to cross the flooded out road and was swept way.
Relatives wonder if this could have been prevented.
"How do you warn people of these dangers? Do you put up barricades on a road? It's probably not a bad idea," said Gary.
The flooded area on Allarie Road borders the RM of Ritchot. The RM's reeve said a "road-closed" sign was put up on Friday and added it's up to drivers to be cautious.
The Stott family hopes no more similar drowning incidents happen.
"I don't want this to happen to somebody else needlessly if we could even do a little (to) mitigate the risks," said Gary Stott.
- with a report from CTV's Stacey Ashley
